The present invention relates generally to remotely controlled telephone answering apparatus and more particularly to apparatus for providing an audible indication of the amount of tape that has been used in recording messages in terms of elapsed recording time or, alternatively, in terms of the length of tape used in recording the messages.
Reference may be made to the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: 2,966,552; 3,576,405; 3,629,508; 3,644,682; 3,692,940; 3,730,997; and 3,794,764.
Remotely controlled telephone answering devices are commonly used to receive and record telephone messages whenever a home or place of business is left unattended. In the absence of the device's user, other persons, upon calling and receiving a pre-recorded message informing them that the user is out, are invited to have their messages recorded by the device for the user's attention when he returns or calls in from a remote location.
One advantage of remotely controlled answering devices is that the user may often times find it more practical to call in to receive messages recorded in his absence rather than returning to his home or office. Since the messages recorded in his absence may dictate his subsequent course of action, the user can then more efficiently schedule his time.
Often, however, when calling in from a remote location, the user for various reasons may have only a limited time in which to play back the recorder messages. If, for example, the recorded messages have consumed many minutes of recording time and the user has only a few minutes to listen to the messages before he must be at his next appointment, he may find it more desirable to wait until later to play back the messages when he has more time, or he may prefer to return to his home or office.
Most existing remotely controlled telephone answering devices, however, do not include means for indicating either the amount of tape used or the time elapsed in recording messages during the user's absence. Thus, when the user seizes control of the apparatus from a remotely located telephone, he has no information available on which to base his decision whether or not he will have enough time to listen to all of the recorded messages. That is, when the device is accessed, the user will not know how much tape is to be played back. Knowledge of the tape position or the amount of elapsed recording time would enable him to decide whether he should play it back immediately or postpone the playback to a more convenient time.